The Guardian reports on ‘Conservapedia‘:
A website founded by US religious activists aims to counter what they claim is “liberal bias” on Wikipedia, the open encyclopedia which has become one of the most popular sites on the web. The founders of Conservapedia.com say their site offers a “much-needed alternative” to Wikipedia, which they say is “increasingly anti-Christian and anti-American”.
Although entries on Wikipedia are open for anyone to edit, conservative campaigners say they are unable to make changes to articles on the site because of inherent bias by its global team of volunteer editors. Instead they have chosen to build a clone which they hope will promote Christian values.
“I’ve tried editing Wikipedia, and found that the biased editors who dominate it censor or change facts to suit their views,” Andy Schlafly, the founder of Conservapedia, told the Guardian. “In one case my factual edits were removed within 60 seconds – so editing Wikipedia is no longer a viable approach.”
Of course, what one considers to be a fact depends on who you are, or rather, what you believe. Looking at the examples the Guardian provides, it also depends on whether or not you are a nut.
Dinosaurs
Wikipedia: “Vertebrate animals that dominated terrestrial ecosystems for over 160m years, first appearing approximately 230m years ago.”
Conservapedia: “They are mentioned in numerous places throughout the Good Book. For example, the behemoth in Job and the leviathan in Isaiah are almost certainly references to dinosaurs.”
US Democratic party
Wikipedia: “The party advocates civil liberties, social freedoms, equal rights, equal opportunity, fiscal responsibility, and a free enterprise system tempered by government intervention.”
Conservapedia: “The Democrat voting record reveals a true agenda of cowering to terrorism, treasonous anti-Americanism, and contempt for America’s founding principles.”
I can see myself becoming addicted to reading this site. It’ll be like picking a scab.
